Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Marathon; epicenter of international running
From the Pacific Ocean of Australia, to the Mediterranean coasts of Valencia it’s 15,480 kilometers in distance; that’s nearly 367 marathons in a row! That’s how far some of our runners from Oceania had to travel to take part in the Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Marathon. The race, organized by SD Correcaminos and the Valencia Government, attracted a plethora of nationalities to run in this historic edition of the race, and the fastest marathon on Spanish soil.
All roads in Europe lead to Valencia
For runners from outside of Spain, the Valencia Marathon is fast becoming the sports-holiday destination of choice in the winter months. The attractive city, Mediterranean-laidback lifestyle, blue skies, great weather and running culture has meant that Valencia has exploded as a running-holiday paradise. When Northern Europe is starting to cloud over and the temperatures drop; Valencia enters the best period of the year for running. In Valencia there is very little rain, the skies are clear and the temperatures are perfect for running, wearing just shorts and a T-shirt.
Italy, once again, reiterated it’s love affair with the Valencia Marathon. Over 1,400 Italian runners came to the the home of Paella to take part in the Mediterranean’s biggest celebration of running. For once the Italians were not missing their famous pasta dishes as they had plenty of good local Valencia food to help them stack up on all the carbs, fats and nutrients they needed for the race.
Many Italians travel from the colder northern cities; Milan, Turin, Rome, to enjoy the great weather, others are interested to visit a city that is very similar to Italian cities but with its own Spanish flavor. Those that come with running as their number one priority come to Valencia as the course is very fast and very flat. Many Italians fly over to Valencia as it is very easy to get here and they can have a great holiday, run a great race; all for a very competitive price.
Belgian runners, looking to escape the autumn weather of their own country, flock to the Valencia Marathon; more than 500 Belgian runners were flying their flag on the Sunday of the race. Coming up just behind the Belgians were the Brits with 475 runners, also looking to run under blue skies and get a PB on one of the fastest courses in Europe. Another worthy mention goes out to our running comrades from the Netherlands who brought 300 runners to the Levante City.
After the terrorist attacks on Paris it was uncertain if many of the 479 French runners would compete in the race. Credit goes to all the runners from France who despite the troubles at home showed their resilience and completed the race. Many supporters flew the French flag as sign of solidarity with the French runners. There was a minute of silence before on both Saturday and Sunday.
Adding up all the Europen runners who competed we come to a very respectable total of 4,017 runners who travelled from Europe to compete in Valencia. These 4,017 runners came from 39 different countries. The Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Marathon aims to build on this international success and increase this number every year.
The Rest of the World looks to Valencia
The African Continent provided runners from 9 different countries. Over 128 African runners came to Valencia, a large part of these made up the elite runner group; many of them coming from Eritrea and Kenya.
From the Americas, 81 runners from 12 different countries made the Journey to Valencia. Asia and Oceania had 27 runners from 14 different countries; quite a commitment to travel all that way, and a joy to have them in the city. The distances that runners will travel to compete in Valencia is a clear demonstration of the quality of the event. Any runner looking to get a PB, both professional and in the amateur world is attracted to Valencia for the great weather, world class organization (Silver Label IAAF) and fast course.
A grand total of 4,253 international runners from Europe and the Rest of the World. This consolidates Valencia’s position as a top class destination for elite and amateur runners. Valencia has been known as ‘La Ciudad del Running’ for many years in Spain, now it looks like it will be known similarly in the Rest of the World too.
Elite program ‘From Valencia to Rio’ brings 40 Olympic hopefuls to the race
To ensure maximum international exposure and to guarantee very fast times, the Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Marathon implemented the Olympic qualifying program, ‘De Valencia A Rio’. The race gave all Olympic marathon hopefuls the opportunity to qualify for the games in Valencia. Of the 40 runners, 19 achieved the times necessary to qualify for Rio 2016. The runners, once selected by their national federation, will receive financial aid to help them get to the Olympics. This initiative was very rewarding for Valencia as it greatly increased international audiences and international press coverage. One of the great success stories was Marco Mastromarino from Argentina. Journalists from Argentina flew over to follow his race and when he secured his qualifying time the Argentinian press covered the story with great gusto.
